A Report
from Your Water Supplier

Beginning in 1999, community water supply systems must provide
an annual report describing the quality of their drinking water to consumers.
Officially called "Consumer Confidence Reports," the reports are required
by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996. Systems serving
over 10,000 people must mail these reports to bill-paying customers. People
who do not receive their water bills directly, such as renters, can find
the reports in the newspaper, on the Internet, in public places, and through
organizations they belong to, or they can request the report from their
water supplier. Smaller water suppliers have the option to print reports
in the newspaper. If you do not receive a report, call your water supplier
for a copy.

The reports provide consumers with information about
the quality of their drinking water. This information has always been available
to consumers who requested it from their water supplier. Now it is provided
in an easy-to-read format sent to your home. Just as food labels have increased
consumers’ knowledge about their food, water quality reports provide a
sort of "label" describing what is in the water.

The guiding principle behind making water quality reports
public is that people have the right to know what is in their drinking
water and the source of their water. Informed and involved citizens make
wiser decisions. These decisions include investments made to protect and
improve water quality, such as wellhead protection or treatment system
upgrades. Consumer "right to know" is an important theme of environmental
protection today.

Interpreting
Your Drinking Water Quality Report

Most people only want an answer to the simple question: "Is
my water safe?" Many water quality reports start with a simple statement
that the water has met all drinking water health standards. If yours does
not have such a statement, read through the report to find whether any
violations are mentioned. If no violations of drinking water standards
are reported, you can assume the water has met the safety standards set
by EPA. Remember that the water quality report provides a snapshot of past
water quality conditions and may not represent current conditions.

Do not assume water is safe to drink just because it
is clear and tastes good. Most contaminants have no taste, odor, or color.
Your assurance that the water is safe should be based on the results of
laboratory testing. The water quality report tells you what tests have
been done, what levels of contaminants have been detected, and whether
the levels detected violate any drinking water standards.

Although many people only want to know that the water
is safe, others want to know more about the water they drink. Reports also
include information on:

the source of your drinking water,

levels of detected contaminants compared to drinking water
standards,

the meaning of technical terms, and

the water supplier.

To help you interpret your drinking water quality report,
this publication explores some of the more technical report features. It
also provides a glossary of technical terms commonly used in water quality
reports.

Your Drinking Water Source

The first step in protecting your water supply is to understand
the source of the water. Water either comes from under the ground (ground
water, obtained from aquifers through wells) or from rivers, reservoirs,
or lakes (surface water). The water quality report identifies the aquifer,
stream, or reservoir that serves as your drinking water source. If you
do not understand the description, ask for an explanation. Names and telephone
numbers for you to contact are included on the report.

After you know the source of your water, you should be
more aware of human activities that could lead to contamination. Each time
you drive by a river, you might think about it as drinking water rather
than just "a river." When playing golf near the city’s wells, consider
how golf course maintenance might affect the water supply. When a new subdivision
is proposed near the city’s reservoir, you might question its impacts on
your drinking water. You might lead an effort to check for failing septic
systems in a drinking water protection area.

Types of Contaminants

The EPA requires that the water quality report list the levels
of all contaminants detected. If contaminants are found in excess of drinking
water standards, a brief paragraph will describe the probable source of
each contaminant and its potential health effects.

Microbial contaminants include total coliform bacteria,
fecal coliform and E. coli, and turbidity. Coliform are bacteria
naturally present in the environment, and they are an indicator that other,
potentially harmful, bacteria may be present. Fecal coliform and E.
coli bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated
with human or animal wastes. Turbidity, cloudiness caused by tiny suspended
particles, is included in the microbial contaminants because it interferes
with disinfection and provides a medium for microbial growth. Turbidity
is regulated by a specific treatment technique, although it has no adverse
health effects.

Radioactive contaminants are from certain minerals
that are radioactive and may emit radiation. Most of these occur naturally.

Inorganic contaminants are materials that are not
derived from living sources and in general do not contain carbon. Regulated
inorganic contaminants include antimony, arsenic, asbestos, barium, beryllium,
cadmium, chromium, copper, cyanide, fluoride, lead, mercury, nitrate, nitrite,
selenium, and thallium. These contaminants get into drinking water supplies
through industrial discharge or spills, erosion of natural deposits, corrosion,
sewage discharge, fertilizer runoff, and other sources.

Organic contaminants are carbon-based materials.
There are 52 regulated organic contaminants, many of which have long names,
such as 1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP) or Hexa-chlorocyclopentadiene.
Organic contaminants include pesticides, industrial chemicals, solvents,
and degreasing compounds such as benzene. Pesticides are more often found
in surface water supplies than in ground water in Indiana. Some of the
pesticides widely used in agriculture and found in drinking water in Indiana
include atrazine, alachlor, and metolachlor. These are all herbicides.
Benzene and other petroleum products are more likely found in ground water
than in surface water. Sources of organic contaminants include discharge
from industrial facilities; leaching from plastic (PVC) pipes; agricultural
and residential runoff containing herbicides, fungicides, insecticides,
and termiticides; and leaching or runoff from landfills.

What the Numbers Mean

Several numbers are given for each contaminant listed in
your water quality report. For example, you may find mercury and nitrate
listed in your water quality report, as in Table 1.

Discharge from refineries and factories; runoff from
landfills and cropland

Nitrate as nitrogen (ppm)

10

10

7.1

5.7-8.2

Runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic
tanks; sewage

Column 1 in Table 1 lists the
contaminants and the units used. In this example, different units are used
for these contaminants. Mercury is measured in parts per billion (ppb),
while nitrate is measured in parts per million (ppm). The unit used for
nitrate is much larger, because mercury is harmful at lower concentrations
than nitrate.

Column 2 gives the Maximum
Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG), which is the level of the contaminant below
which there is no known or expected health risk. The Maximum Contaminant
Level Goal is just that, a goal. Given today’s technology, in some cases
it cannot yet be reached.

Column 3 gives the Maximum
Contaminant Level (MCL), or drinking water standard for the highest level
of the contaminant allowed in drinking water. Safe water does not mean
water that is totally free of all contaminants. Purifying water can be
expensive, and these costs must be passed on to the people who use the
water. Every chemical has an exposure level below which the benefits of
removal are minimal. A level is chosen by the EPA that meets stringent
health standards, with a margin of safety, based on extensive animal research.
The MCL (the regulated standard) is set as close to the MCLG (the goal)
as feasible using the best available treatment technology. In the example
shown in Table 1, the MCL and MCLG are the same, which means that the standard
required for drinking water is the same as the level at which you could
drink for a lifetime and have no known adverse health effects.

Column 4 gives the level
of contaminant actually found in your drinking water supply. The numbers
in column 3 (MCL) and column 4 (level found) are probably the most useful
to most consumers. In the example in Table 1, the water is not considered
a health concern by the EPA, because in both cases the level found in the
water supply (column 4) is less than the MCL (column 3).

Column 5 (Range of detections)
is included because some consumers want to know how the contaminant level
fluctuates. Only the average level shown in column 4 is used to determine
whether the water meets standards. The range is usually much wider in systems
that use surface water (streams, rivers, or reservoirs) than in those that
use ground water, because conditions in a stream vary much more than in
the ground. If no range is given, only one sample was tested during the
year.

Some systems only monitor certain contaminants every few
years. If the level reported in the table was found in tests done prior
to the year in which the report is issued, the date of the tests will be
included in the table.

Column 6 (Typical source
of contaminant) describes the probable sources of the contaminant. Remember
that it is not unusual for some level of many substances to be in your
water and that, if the contaminant is not above the MCL, it is not considered
a health concern by the EPA.

Vulnerability to Contaminants

Your water quality report also points out that some people
are more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general
population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons undergoing chemotherapy,
persons who have organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune
system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk.
More information is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline and
from healthcare providers. (See "For More Information.")

While the best science available suggests that water that
meets drinking water standards is safe when consumed over a lifetime, some
people prefer not to consume water with any measurable contaminants. By
reporting the levels of all contaminants, the drinking water quality report
gives consumers the information to decide for themselves if they should
be concerned about their water supply and seek other sources.

Two Options
You May Be Considering

Bottled Water

The water quality report ensures that you are well informed
about your tap water. But what about bottled water? Although bottled water
is subject to certain testing requirements, the law does not require that
the results of those tests be made available to the public. The right-to-know
provision does not extend to bottled water. Consequently, drinking bottled
water does not necessarily protect you from specific contaminants.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates
bottled water used for drinking. The FDA sets quality standards that are
roughly equivalent to EPA’s drinking water standards. Bottled water quality
varies among brands because of variations in water source, treatment, and
handling. Water is rarely completely free of contaminants. In most cases,
contaminants are present at very low levels that do not pose a known health
concern.

Bottled water usually costs hundreds or thousands of times
more than tap water, but it may be a good temporary choice if your tap
water violates one or more drinking water standards or if possible contamination
of the water supply has occurred, such as through flooding. The FDA recommends
that bottled water be handled like other food products and refrigerated
after opening, because bacteria can grow after the bottle is exposed to
air.

Home Water Treatment

In the long term, home water treatment is often more cost-effective
than purchasing bottled water if you are concerned about any contaminants
found in tap water. Water treatment systems generally use one or a combination
of the following processes: disinfection (chlorination or ultraviolet light),
filtration (including activated carbon filters), reverse osmosis, and distillation.
When buying a treatment unit, make sure it is designed to remove the contaminants
of concern to you. You must also maintain any unit as instructed. A unit
not maintained can expose you to more contaminants than not having a unit.
You can find more information in the Purdue Extension publication "Buying
Home Water Treatment Equipment" (WQ-6) or other publications listed in
"For More Information."

How to Protect
or Improve Your Water Quality

The public can no longer relax and assume safe drinking water
will always be provided. Public participation is needed to protect water
resources, build adequate treatment plants, improve water delivery, analyze
costs vs. risks, and enact appropriate legislation. A 1997 Indiana Rule
requires public water systems using ground water to develop a Wellhead
Protection Plan by 2002.

Local citizens will guide the wellhead protection planning
process. This is an excellent opportunity for anyone concerned about safe
water—for today and for the future—to get involved in protecting it. More
than 90% of community water systems in Indiana, serving about one-third
of Indiana’s citizens, use ground water and are required to develop a Wellhead
Protection Plan. The "For More Information" section of this publication
lists several Purdue Extension publications on wellhead protection planning.

Only 55 Indiana community water systems use rivers, lakes,
or reservoirs for their water supply, but they include some of Indiana’s
largest cities (such as Indianapolis and Fort Wayne). Protection of the
watershed area that drains into the river used by these systems, although
not required by law, is also important to ensure safe and affordable water
for the future. Local citizens have already formed watershed partnerships
to protect their watershed and water supply in many areas.

Nearly 30%, or over 1.7 million Hoosiers, use water from
private wells. No government agency monitors or protects the quality of
their water. Private well owners must test their water regularly and protect
the area around the well. The Purdue Extension publication "Indiana Farmstead
Assessment" (WQ-22) provides drinking water protection information for
farms, and "Home*A*Syst" (WQ-25) provides information to help homeowners
protect their well and drinking water supply.

For More Information

Purdue Extension’s drinking water information program, "Safe
Water for the Future," provides information on wellhead protection and
watershed protection for public water supplies. You can call 765-496-6331
or visit <http://www.ecn.purdue.edu/safewater>.

The following Purdue Extension may be helpful. You can
order them through your county office of Purdue Extension or by calling
1-888-EXT-INFO. You can also find many Purdue Extension publications on
the Web at <http://www.agcom.purdue.edu/AgCom/Pubs/menu.htm>.

WQ-2 "What Is Ground Water?"WQ-6 "Buying Home Water Treatment"WQ-11 "Sulfur Water Control"WQ-12 "Distillation for Home Water Treatment"WQ-13 "Home Water Treatment Using Activated Carbon"WQ-14 "Reverse Osmosis for Home Treatment of Drinking
Water"WQ-15 "Bacterial Contamination of Household Water"WQ-23 "Cryptosporidium: A Waterborne Disease"WQ-24 "Wellhead Protection in Indiana"WQ-25 "Lead in Drinking Water"WQ-27 "Nitrate in Indiana’s Ground Water"WQ-28 "Forming the Wellhead Protection Planning Team"WQ-29 "A Shortcut to Wellhead Protection Delineation
for Some Systems"WQ-30 "Choosing a Consultant to Delineate the Wellhead
Protection Area"WQ-31 "Inventorying Potential Sources of Drinking Water
Contamination"

You can also obtain information about contaminants and
potential health effects by calling the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline
1-877-EPA-WATER or visiting their website at <http://www.epa.gov/safewater>.

Drinking Water Terms

Term

Definition

AL or Action Level

The concentration of a contaminant
which, when exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water
supplier must follow.

Aquifer

An underground formation (often
sand or gravel) that contains water and easily transmits water to a well.

Consumer Confidence Report (CCR)

A report that is required to be
sent or transmitted to all consumers of a public water supply, beginning
in 1999. The report provides information about the water, such as contaminants
detected.

Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA)

Federal agency that regulates
public water supplies in the U.S.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Federal agency that oversees the
safety and effectiveness of food, cosmetics, medicines, and other products.
The FDA regulates bottled water in the U.S.

Ground water

Water contained in pores below
ground, usually drawn from wells for drinking.

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL)

The highest level of a contaminant
allowed in drinking water. The MCL (the drinking water standard that is
regulated) is set as close to the MCLG (the goal) as feasible using the
best available treatment technology.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal
(MCLG)

The level of a contaminant in
drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health.

Parts per billion (ppb)

Unit that represents 1 part contaminant
in 1,000,000,000 parts water.

Parts per million (ppm)

Unit that represents 1 part contaminant
in 1,000,000 parts water.

Safe Drinking Water Act

The main federal law, originally
passed in 1974, that ensures the quality of Americans’ drinking water.
Amendments passed in 1996 reflect a consumer right-to-know emphasis. See
<http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/usdwa/sdwa.html>.

Surface water

Lakes, streams, reservoirs, and
rivers. Surface water is used for drinking water in many large cities in
Indiana, as well as in smaller cities in southern Indiana, where ground
water is not plentiful.

Treatment Technique (TT)

A specific process (such as filtration)
that must be followed to reduce the level of some contaminants.

Turbidity

The cloudy appearance of water
caused by the presence of tiny particles. High levels of turbidity may
interfere with proper water treatment and monitoring.

Wellhead protection

Identification and protection
from contamination of a certain area surrounding a drinking water well
or well field.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the following reviewers, whose thoughtful
comments significantly improved this publication.

Don Jones, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering,
Purdue UniversityMargie Jones, U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyDonna Freier, State of Washington Department of HealthConnie Murray, Missouri Public Service CommissionMichael Burke, New York State Department of HealthRandy VanDyke, Clay Regional Water, Spencer, IowaSpecial thanks to Lou Jones, Department of Agronomy,
Purdue University, for the illustrations.